The present invention relates generally to a cable termination assembly, a wire stripping apparatus to facilitate making such assembly and a method of making such assembly.
As is described in detail below, the cable termination assembly preferably is of the type in which plural conductors of a cable are terminated for electrical connection to another device, and typically such cable is of the flat type including, for example, three conductors in planar spaced apart relation in the cable insulation with the center conductor ordinarily carrying electrical signal information and the peripheral conductors providing ground signal isolation. However, although the following description will be directed primarily to the preferred embodiment and best mode of the invention in which the cable termination assembly is for a three conductor flat cable, it will be appreciated that the features of the invention may be employed in connection with other types of cable termination assemblies having more or fewer conductors in flat or other cable.
A cable termination assembly is a device for terminating a cable to provide electrical connection of the cable conductors to another device, such as another cable termination assembly, a terminal strip or board, etc. Such a cable termination assembly conventionally includes the cable, electrical contacts for connection with the cable conductors, and a strain relief mechanism. The contacts may be of the male or female type and usually in the latter case the assembly includes an electrically nonconductive cover or housing for guiding male pin contacts into engagement with respective female contacts in the assembly.
In prior cable termination assemblies for three conductor cables one conductor may carry signal information and the other two conductors may provide ground signal isolation.
It is the norm for cable termination assemblies to include a strain relief mechanism to prevent application of force to connections between conductor wires and electrical contacts in the assembly primarily when the assembly is removed from connection with another device. One type of known strain relief mechanism is that in which a strain relief body is molded directly to the cable to form a substantially integral structure therewith while also preferably providing a hermetic seal about connections between the conductors and contacts, thereby helping to optimize the integrity of such electrical connections while also minimizing any chemical activity at such connections, especially when the electrically conductive materials are dissimilar.
Automated and semi-automated machines for stripping the insulation from conductors of a cable are known in the art. Typically, such machines uniformly strip the insulation from the end of a cable and fully remove the stripped insulation section completely exposing ends of the cable conductors for subsequent connection.